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An injunction will reportedly be filed in an attempt to keep 35 high school football players eligible for the state playoffs.
Gainesville High School is attempting to exploit a loophole linked to the timing of the game. The Thanksgiving holiday could play into their favor.
The team was involved in a benches-clearing brawl during their most recent contest which has since sparked a domino effect. Gainesville was leading 42-0 at the time of the fight. The game was called before the start of the fourth quarter.
The team was dealt a swift punishment after the fact. While it will be able to continue competing for a championship, the majority of the roster will be unavailable.
39 Georgia high school football players were suspended.
That number was reduced to 35 in the week leading up to the game thanks to an appeal by the Gainesville administration. Still, it drastically impacts the team’s ability to win its next matchup vs. Langston Hughes.
Depth will be an issue, as will experience. Starters will be unavailable. It could end Gainesville’s postseason run two wins shy of a state title appearance.
In a last-ditch effort to preserve eligibility, the school has announced it will take legal action.
The courts are closed for Thursday and Friday, narrowing Gainesville’s time to file an injunction to revert the ruling that upheld the suspensions of 35 players by the GHSA…
“Yeah, I saw posts with people saying [injunctions had] been filed,” [a Gainesville rep] said. “And you are about the seventh person who has called asking about the papers and that they couldn’t find them. That is because they haven’t been filed… yet.”
-ScoreAtlanta
The school plans to file an injunction according to those close to the program. It could have major implications on the future.
Can eligibility be saved?
Gary Adornato of Sports Illustrated suggests it’s a possibility. He says it’s “highly unlikely” that a court would want to rule on the case in one day’s time. That could allow for the suspensions to be temporary lifted while the process plays out.
The Thanksgiving holiday plays a role. With the injunction filed on a Wednesday, typically that would provide a judge a few days to examine evidence. This week, however, the courts will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
It’s highly unlikely any court would be prepared to entertain evidence and render a full judgement, all in a single day, but a sympathetic judge might be persuaded to issue a stay on the suspensions until the full case can be heard at a later date.
Such a scenario would allow Gainesville to play this Friday, and most likely for the remainder of its postseason, with its full roster.
-Gary Adornato
Adornato suggests that the injunction might not only impact Gainesville’s upcoming matchup with Langston Hughes, but also any games that follow.
Should the school be able to save eligibility, head coach Josh Niblett would receive justification.
He placed blame on Gainesville’s opponent for sparking the melee. He contends that his players shouldn’t be punished for the actions of others.
“You watch the two helmets get ripped off, you don’t see our kids throw a punch, you don’t see our kids push the kid, you see our guys step in between them and then get his helmet ripped off and then the guy jabs him with a punch. And they still back away.
“Hey, if there was a guy that threw a punch, he should be ejected, I don’t condone that at all. There’s defending yourself, there’s other guys trying to defuse the deal, but then at the same time we have 11 defensive players on the opposite side of the field that may jog down there but they’re on the opposite side of the field they get ejected. I mean, they’re just on the field. The two guys who had their helmets ripped off and punched that got waylaid, they got ejected. I don’t understand what they are supposed to do.”
-Josh Niblett
It will be interesting to see whether or not the injunction works in Gainesville’s favor. The game vs. Langston Hughes is scheduled for Friday. Niblett hopes to have a full roster at his disposal.